Used Outdoor Stair Lifts for Sale

The NCOA used stair lift guide puts a used straight stair lift at roughly $1,500 to $3,000. Dealers like Lifeway Mobility charge around $2,900 to $4,500 for their used lifts.

For eight steps with roughly 8 ft 5 in of rail, a new straight outdoor lift runs $4,810 to $10,500 installed. That rail is the track of metal the seat rides on, and the longer the flight, the higher the cost. Once you reach 20 steps, needing roughly 21 ft of rail, that same lift runs around $5,272 to $10,962.

Going used saves money, though the warranty is not as strong as what comes with a new lift. Reconditioned lifts, which are used units a company has inspected and fixed up to sell again, typically come with a limited warranty lasting anywhere from half a year to a full year.

It depends on the lift. Most manufacturers publish the temperatures their lift is built to run in, so if you have hard winters, check that the range reaches your coldest nights before you buy.

On a typical January night, temperatures hover near 1°F across Minnesota and North Dakota, around 6°F in Maine, and about 47°F in Florida. Picture a 220 lb rider using six steps in Minnesota: the Bruno Elite Outdoor and the Harmar Summit are the only two rated for that kind of winter. Florida is different, since every one of the six straight outdoor lifts that lists a range would do the job there. No temperature range is published for the Acorn 130 Outdoor, the AmeriGlide Outdoor Deluxe, or the Harmar Helix.

Longer rails can mean lower limits on certain lifts. The Harmar Summit holds 350 lb on rails up to 15 ft 9 in, then 250 lb past that point. The AmeriGlide Outdoor Deluxe falls from 350 lb to 250 lb once the rail reaches 16 ft or more. Each step adds about a foot of rail, so a long flight of 18 steps needs around 19 feet, which is past the point where these lifts carry less weight.

• Outdoor rating: find a published temperature range that reaches your coldest nights.
• Weight limit: match it against the rider's weight for your rail length.
• Battery age: plan on a new battery every one to three years, running $200 to $300 each time.
• Warranty: get the length in writing, because used coverage runs shorter.
• Service: a stair lift should be serviced yearly, and outdoor models call for more frequent service.

Because a curved rail is custom built for a single staircase, used ones are rare. A refurbished curved model has to get a new rail, and that pushes the cost up. When a lift is only wanted for a limited period, certain dealers will rent out straight-rail models.